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About the MLT Program

Do you want to contribute to the healthcare field, but don’t want to become a nurse or doctor? Does the idea of working in a laboratory environment sound appealing to you? To many, building a career in healthcare as a Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) has proven to be a meaningful and rewarding part of their lives. An MLT is part of a team of laboratory scientists who collect and conduct chemical analysis of bodily fluids, cultivate and identify microbial organisms for testing, and use a wide variety of lab equipment and techniques to establish the accuracy of test results. With a median salary of $57,380, US News ranks this profession as one of the, “15th Best Jobs You’ve Never Heard Of”.

The MLT program at Otero College in Southeast Colorado offers an accredited two year AAS degree and  is designed to prepare qualified laboratory professionals for entry level employment in environments such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, and private medical laboratories. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are eligible to take national examinations to become certified Medical Laboratory Technicians.

About the Phlebotomy Program

Phlebotomists are healthcare professionals responsible for drawing blood from patients for medical testing, transfusions, donations, or research purposes. This program combines classroom instruction with hands-on clinical experience to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills for safe and effective blood collection.

Graduates of phlebotomy programs can seek employment in hospitals, clinics, diagnostic laboratories, blood banks, and other healthcare settings where blood collection is essential.

Accreditation 

Both the MLT and Phlebotomy Program are accredited by the National Accreditation Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).  5600 River Rd., Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018, Phone 773-714-8880 email: info@naacles.org; Web site: www.naacls.org

Pursuing a BAS or BS degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences

Students who wish to go on to pursue a BAS or BS degree as a Medical Laboratory Scientist should look at the required classes for admission to individual programs.  See each program’s website.

For students wishing to pursue a BAS MLS degree with Arapaho Community College in Littleton, CO students need to complete the following courses in addition to the AAS MLT degree to be considered for admission.  Please refer to the ACC website to determine if some courses can be completed while pursuing the BAS MLS degree.

  1. ENG 1022 English Composition II – 3 credits
  2. MAT 1260 Introduction to Statistics – 3 credits
  3. SOC 2018- Sociology of Diversity – 3 credits
  4. CHEM 1112- General College Chemistry II- 5 credits
  5. BIO 2104- Microbiology- 4 credits

In addition to the above, students must be ASCP certified as an MLT and currently employed in a clinical laboratory. Always check the current requirements on ACC’s website.

Professional Licensure Disclosure

Students are advised to review the information on the Professional Licensure Disclosure page BEFORE beginning a program that leads to professional licensure with the intent to be licensed outside of the state of Colorado. Review the licensing information provided for the applicable program. While CCCS colleges endeavor to ensure this information is up to date, changes in licensure requirements of any state can change at any time. Contact the appropriate licensing agency in the U.S. states and territories where licensure is intended. This will enable you to obtain the most up-to-date information about licensure requirements and confirm the CCCS college program meets those requirements.

MLT Outcomes graph
Chart showing phlebotomy outcomes for the last 4 years.
Program Information

Courses Offered:
In Person
Hybrid
Online

Program Length:
5 semesters

Award/Program Credits:
66 (MLT AAS)
5 (Phlebotomy Certificate)

Program Faculty

Angela Tarrant

Director of Med Lab Tech
(719) 384-6813
otero-mlt@otero.edu
Life Science 122

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